


The lost snake

by Sagisen112



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adventure, Fanfic, Friendship, Multi, No characters from the books, Original Characters - Freeform, Original Story - Freeform, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-05-06 03:41:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14633346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagisen112/pseuds/Sagisen112
Summary: The newly recruited demigod Signe is sent with 7 other heroes on a quest over land and sea in search of a lost god.





	1. Signe

**Author's Note:**

> This story is dedicated to my lovely cousins, who basically are my best friends. Heads up; it only has a few characters from the books, but then it all revolves around these eight oc’s I’ve created. It’ll probably be a bit boring to read if you’re not my cousins or if you’re looking for a story that contains the characters from this fandom :3

Everyone was wearing black. 

Black dresses, black shirts, black pants; someone had even bought a black one piece for the special event. Everyone you looked at was wearing black. Except Signe. She was wearing a white blouse and blue shorts. And she hated her life.

The event happened to be the last day of the 8th grade (for most of the pupils), and as a surprise, the students had decided to wear black for their graduation, since their English teacher Mr. Brown’s favorite color was black. 

Mr. Brown was an Italian man in his 30’s, with dark brown, almost black eyes and short, brown hair. Everyone loved him and was convinced that he was the best English teacher in the world (but Signe suspected it had more to do with his looks). He had a nice smile with dimples, a friendly personality and was altogether a good buy.

At least that was what Signe’s classmates said. 

Mr. Brown had always been unfair to Signe. He’d failed her multiple times even though she’d done a better job than the ones he gave a C to, and gave Signe weird, almost hateful looks, as if the mere sight of Signe made him feel queasy. Once, she'd even heard her growl at her. Needless to say, Signe wasn't a fan of him.

And as the cherry on top the information about the color scheme had apparently been deliberately kept from Signe so that Mr. Brown had more things to add on his reasons-why-I-hate-Signe-list.

Since Signe and her not so fellow classmates had very different opinions on things, Signe had easily become a perfect bully-target. She'd gathered a lot of fans (bullies) since the beginning of the 7th grade, and her number one fan, her arch-nemesis from Los Angeles, was a girl named Astrid.

Astrid was one of the most popular girls in the entire school. She had big, brown, puppy dog eyes and long, beautiful hair that had the ability to always look amazing. 

Before 7th grade happened Astrid had been one of Signe’s closest friends. Signe’d always admired that even though Astrid was quite petite she could still part crowds without doing anything. She had some kind of aura that made her seem powerful, scary and beautiful at the same time, which confused almost everyone that met her. You never knew if you were supposed to avoid her gaze, approach her or run away. 

Now, Signe would’ve settled for punching her in the face, but since Frida, her best friend from kindergarten, didn’t think that was a good idea, Signe had avoided doing it. Listening to Frida was always a good.

As Signe sat there in the middle of what felt like a black cloud, she was starting to feel a tiny bit worried about her friend. She wasn’t there, which was odd, considering she had texted Signe earlier and informed her that they’d meet outside the classroom at ten to ten, ten minutes before the lesson started. 

Two minutes to ten and there had been no sight of Frida. As their English teacher, Mr. Brown started talking about how proud he was of his students, and how moved he was by the surprise (Signe didn’t miss the look he gave her), Signe expected Frida to storm into the classroom at any moment. Her ADHD did nothing but make the situation worse as she started going nuts since Frida wasn't answering her texts.

She was scrolling through her ten recent messages asking Frida whether or not she was OK, where she were and so on when Mr. Brown raspy voice echoed through the room.

“Miss Wilson?”

Signe froze and then sighed, closing her eyes for a second, gathered her courage before she stood up and made her way to the front of the classroom. 

A chunk of paper hit the back of her head but she ignored it, even as the classroom exploded with giggles. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she gritted her teeth and kept on walking until she was stood in front of Mr. Brown. 

Without the hint of a smile he held out the envelope in front of her. Signe quickly reached out and was just about to grab it when Mr. Brown’s free hand suddenly grabbed Signe’s upper arm and pulled, dragging her closer. 

Freezing in shock, she frowned and swallowed nervously. 

“Sir? Is everything, uh, alright?”

For a moment Signe thought he’d found out about the time she and Frida had a sleepover in the clock tower, even though it was strictly forbidden, and that he was going to suspend her for life in front of the class. But what Mr. Brown said next Signe could never have anticipated.

“It is very unwise to go around without your protector, Signe Wilton”, he said, spitting out her name as if it tasted bitter on his tongue, “you never know where there’s danger.”

Signe's blood ran cold. She could only stare at him, unable to form a single word.

Mr. Brown’s grip tightened around Signe’s arm and she hissed in pain.

“You thought you’d be able to hide forever, didn’t you?” Mr. Brown sneered, baring his teeth in a toothy grin. 

“What?” Signe stuttered. Not believing what she was hearing. Mr. Brown continued as if Signe hadn’t said anything, his nails digging into Signe’s arm. 

“With the scent you have, I’m surprised you’re still alive. But don’t worry; your little game of hide and seek is over-now the game of cat and mouse begins.”

Signe stared at her teacher. Then she glanced at her classmates. 

“I’m sorry, but what’s going on?” She exclaimed, but no one showed any expressions of concern or surprise; they mostly looked bored, as if they were anxiously waiting for their turn to get their grades. Either this was a supposedly “funny” prank that Astrid had come up with and her classmates were Oscar-worthy performers, or Signe had gone completely mad. It was like they weren’t seeing or hearing what Signe was seeing and hearing.

Mr. Brown narrowed his eyes, and Signe felt as if she was shrinking under his gaze. Or was Mr. Brown getting taller? 

He leaned forward, and Signe swore she saw his teeth grow into long fangs as his smile grew even wider. 

“Run, little mouse, run”, he hissed. 

Then, as if someone had flicked a switch, he was suddenly not three feet taller, his fangs were gone, and he had his hand in hers, giving it a firm shake as he handed her grades to her. On unsteady legs, Signe made her way back to her bench. 

While questioning her own sanity, Signe sat completely still the rest of the lesson, trying to force her hands to stop shaking. When the bell rang she was the first one out of the classroom, and up until she’d rounded the corner she could feel Mr. Brown’s gaze burning in her neck. 

With only saying goodbye to a few teachers, she ran outside, grabbed her bike and cycled away, her heart beating a million beats per minute. The sun had disappeared behind a large, dark grey cloud that seemed to have an end, casting a dark shadow over the woods. 

The air was incredibly stuffy, and it hadn’t been raining yet, but the bad weather was only a few minutes away.   
She turned right onto the smaller path that led her from her school to her home, the one going along the highway; a wide, fast running river that made it’s way through the forest. 

The water was always running fast, and because of it the river got deeper every year, causing there to be a huge height difference between the side of the river and the actual water; there was basically a five feet long drop from the path and the water. Signe had only two years back on her 12th birthday been allowed to go to school using the path by the river, since her (overprotective) parents was afraid of her falling in and drowning. 

Because it had been raining constantly for almost three days, the water was going crazy and was the only thing Signe could hear as she fished out her phone and began scrolling through her contacts. She quickly tapped on Frida’s name and pressed her phone to her ear. 

Keeping her right hand on the handlebar, she prayed that Frida would answer her phone while she did her best in avoiding driving over large rocks or roots. After a few beeps it went to voicemail and she cursed and dialed again, looking behind her shoulder every other second. She had the eerie feeling that someone was following her, and she didn’t really want to find out who.

When she reached the voicemail for the second time raindrops had begun to fall from the sky as Signe flew forward on the small, winding path. 

“Hi, this is Frida, leave a message after the beep!”

“Hey Frida, so I’m kinda freaking out right now because you didn’t show up at school and Mr. Brown was acting really weird and creepy but no one noticed, and I think he’s-”, Signe cut herself off, taking a few, shallow breaths.

“Just please call me back when you get this. Thanks.”

Signe ended the call, heaving a sigh. The wind had picked up, and the small droplets of rain had turned into a heavy rainfall, hitting Signe in the face and starting to soak her clothes as she cycled down the muddy path. Over her, thunder rumbled.

A low hanging branch Signe didn’t see until it was too late hit her in her face, blinding her for a few seconds, which resulted in her almost flying of the road and into the river as it took a sharp left turn, her tires slipping on the now muddy ground. When she’d composed herself and continued cycling, this time a bit slower, she lifted her phone again and scrolled through her contacts in search for her mom’s number. 

Just when she was about to press down on it she accidentally drove over a large root that suck up from the ground, causing her to lose control over the bike. The handle was harshly turned to the left, and Signe, being not prepared for such a sudden movement and steering with only one hand, was flung forwards. She was sent over her bike before she came crashing down on the ground, shoulder exploding in pain, and slid a few meters in the mud before coming into a stop. 

There she lay, a pile of limbs, covered in mud and gasping for breath as the air had been knocked out of her chest. Not exactly how she had imagined her first minutes of the summer holiday going. 

With a groan, she slowly rolled over to her back, feeling the rain splatter on her face, soaking her muddy clothes. 

As she lay there on the ground, gasping for breath like a fish on land, she realized three things;

Number one; even though she felt like she couldn’t breathe, her shoulder was killing her and her head was swimming, she was pretty sure she hadn’t broken anything. Although it was possible that she was mildly concussed. Either way, she was glad that she could still move.

Two; if she came home covered from head to toe in mud, her mom would kill her. Her mother’s white silk blouse was likely beige by this point, and Signe had promised, no, assured her that she wouldn’t ruin it. Then again, Signe hadn’t exactly spilled anything on it, but she had the feeling her mother would’ve preferred Signe bringing home a shirt with a small drop of soda on instead of one completely covered in mud. Yeah, she was screwed. 

And three; there was someone coming. 

Looking towards the direction she’d come from, she could see a figure a good distance away that was slowly approaching her. Signe closed her eyes, wincing as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Yep, definitely concussed. 

And along with the dizziness came the shame. Embarrassed for being found in such a vulnerable state, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, still trying to catch her breath. 

Her head pounded, her shoulder felt numb, as if it had fallen asleep and it was still raining cats and dogs. Her converse and socks were soaked, making her even colder than before. As she tried to gather herself to seem at least a bit OK, a voice cut through the roar of the river.

“There you are, little mouse.”

Signe froze, her heart skipping a beat. She turned towards the figure, and a strangled noise escaped her throat. Mr. Brown was walking towards her, his eyes drilling into hers. His murderous expression had returned, and as he came closer to Signe, she saw that he was yet again growing in size, although this time, it was more noticeable.

His face seemed to boil, as if something was moving around under his skin, and his eyes were now red, shining like a pair of headlights on a car. As he grew, his suit began to tear, revealing his now muscly, grey and leathery body. Almost every inch of it was covered in both small and large gross-looking scars. 

When he was only a few meter away his nails had turned into claws, his teeth into fangs and his head was in the same height as a basketball hoop. 

Frozen in shock, Signe stared up at her ten foot high teacher. Mr. Brown hissed, green saliva dripping from his fangs as he narrowed his eyes.

“Demigod flesh”, he said with his new low and raspy voice as he licked his dry lips, “delicious.” 

Mr. Brown lifted his hand, spreading his fingers and was about to bring his claws down on Signe when he suddenly stumbled back with a loud shriek. His hand cupped the end of an arrow that was sticking out of his chest. A black form of goo slowly started sipping out of the wound. 

Another arrow came flying and embedded itself in next to the first one, and he cried out again, his gaze searching for where the arrows had come from. 

He didn’t have to look long, because someone suddenly ran out of the bushes, skidding to a halt between Mr. Brown and Signe. The stranger was facing Mr. Brown and Signe could only see her wet, brown hair, the baseball bat that was strapped to her back over a red plaid shirt and the bow she held in her hand. The girl was already notching another arrow onto her bow, and fired it with amazing speed. She watched it hit Mr. Brown once more in his chest before turning around, facing Signe. 

Signe’s heart almost missed a beat and she was convinced that she’d hit her head harder than she’d initially thought and was just imagining things by now.

The girl who was standing before was no other than Frida. Signe’d just witnessed her best friend shoot her English teacher with a bow and arrow in the chest three times. This was absolutely not how Signe’d thought her first minutes of summer would go. Not even her wildest dreams could cook this up. Signe was seriously feeling the need to contact an asylum. 

Frida crouched down in front of Signe and helped her up on her feet, her eyes wide and alert. Her cheeks were rosy and she was panting hard, as if she’d just stopped after a run. 

She glanced behind her at Mr. Brown, who was hissing loudly as he pulled the arrows out of his chest, and then turned her attention back to Signe.

“You need to run. Go home and call your mom. Tell her what’s happened and do exactly what she tells you to do.”   
Signe blinked. 

“What?” She shouted, gripping Frida’s shirt, a thousand questions erupting in her head. “You can see that…that thing too? What happened to Mr. Brown? How do you know how to use a bow and arrow? Why do-” 

Frida gave her an incredulous look and placed her hands on Signe’s shoulders and shook her.

“Do you mind, I’m trying to save your life here! I have a monster to kill, so go!”

Signe opened her mouth to demand answers, but Frida had already turned around and was pulling out the baseball bat from her back. 

Mr. Brown yanked out the last arrow with a growl, and threw it angrily to the side. The ink-like blood ran down from the wound but was quickly washed away by the rain. His gaze fell on Frida and he sniffed the air before a smile was planted on his lips. 

“My lucky day”, he snarled, taking a step forward so that there were only a few meters between him and Frida, “two delicious meals in one day.” 

Frida swiftly turned the baseball bat in her hand, changing her grip on the handle. 

“You should’ve stayed with teaching, Mr. Brown. I actually enjoyed your lessons,” Frida said casually, as if she was having a normal conversation with another person, and not about to get shredded to pieces by a ten foot tall monster. 

With a growl almost as loud as the thunder rumbling above Signe, Mr. Brown took a giant step towards Frida. Frida quickly threw herself forward and managed to dodge the foot that slammed into the ground where Frida had been seconds before, making the earth shake.

Using her new location behind Mr. Brown to her advantage, Frida swung the baseball bat and hit the monster in the back. 

She glanced towards Signe and her annoyed groan was so loud Signe heard it from where she was standing. 

“Signe, you need to run! Go!”

Signe hesitated. Her instincts screamed at her to run away, to get herself into safety and save herself, but it was as if her legs had been glued to the ground. She could only stare at Mr. Brown’s massive, unsettling form and his red, furious eyes. Her teacher was still hunched over and groaning in pain from Frida’s hit, but turned around, trying to use his claws to hurt Frida. She easily dodged the enormous hand that whooshed over her, and immediately brought her bat up with incredible speed and hit Mr. Brown in his lower jaw with a clang. 

Mr. Brown’s head snapped upwards so forcefully, his whole body followed, making him fly backwards, right towards Signe. Seeing Mr. Brown’s body flying at her made her react on pure instinct and she quickly backed away, trying to avoid being squashed like a bug. 

As she was backing up her heel was caught on something and she started stumbling back, trying to regain her balance, before she felt herself falling. She heard Frida’s panicked voice call out for her and only realized what had happened when her back collided with the cold water of the river.

The current immediately took a hold of Signe, forcing her under water. Something hit the back of Signe’s head, but she didn’t have the air to let out a scream as her head exploded with pain. The water surrounded her, moving around and making her twirl uncontrollably and lose track of what was up and what was down.

She began to frantically kick with her legs, trying to find her way back up to the surface, but the shock that the cold had caused made it almost impossible for her to control her freezing limbs. Everything around her was moving, and was changing from light to dark and back to light so quickly it made her even dizzier, so she hastily closed her eyes. 

After what felt like an eternity of tumbling around like a piece of clothing in a washing machine she felt her energy seep out of her as her vision started to darken. The pounding pain in her head started to disappear, and her body was growing numb by the second. A calming yet terrifying darkness seemed to grab her, holding her in a tight grip around her chest. 

She convinced herself she was just going to sleep, ignoring the alarm bells that were telling her that she should keep fighting, that she shouldn’t give up. The darkness seemed to be winning, because the alarms grew quiet, and she felt herself float away, as she prepared to let everything go. 

Suddenly, a voice filled her head, and like a warm knife cutting through butter, it cut through the darkness, dragging Signe away from it’s cold embrace.

“Focus”, it said.

Signe’s eyes flew open and everything stopped. 

She was floating in the middle, barely moving, as was the water around her. The water in the river had stilled, as if the world had been frozen in time. 

She was aware of everything; the water surrounding her, running between her fingers and softly tugging at her hair, the way the river made its way through the forest and finally, miles away, connected to the sea. She was aware of how much life there was there, how many fish and dolphins and whales there were, and most importantly the fact that she could breathe. Glancing around in awe, she took deep breaths, feeling as if she was awake for the first time in her life. 

Ever since she was little she was little, she had had the feeling that she was missing something, that, somehow, she wasn’t completely whole. Now, she realized what it was she’d been missing. The sea.

The voice rang out again, this time much clearer and with much more force.

“Focus, Signe.”

She looked up towards the surface and narrowed her eyes. 

She began swimming upwards and then, seconds later, so fast she couldn’t figure out how it had happened, she found herself standing on the side of the river. Completely dry. 

The energy and power she’d experienced moments before vanished as quickly as it had come and Signe fell to her hands and knees. Thousands of raindrops attacked her back and started soaking through her clothes once more but couldn’t find the energy to make herself move. 

The sound of thunder reached her ears and she felt a sudden wave of panic hit her when the memory of Frida and Mr. Brown resurfaced. 

Where was Frida? Had she made it? What if Mr. Brown found Signe now? She knew she didn’t have the strength to run or protect herself, which made her feel like a hunted mouse in the middle of a meadow. All it would take was for the eagle to spot her and she’d be dead meat. Quite Literally. 

Suddenly she felt hands grabbing her arm and hoisting her up onto her legs, and she jumped, tried to scramble away, thinking it was Mr. Brown. When she saw Frida’s blurry face come into view she relaxed and would’ve collapsed if Frida hadn’t been there to support her. 

Her friend had a bruise on the side of her right jaw and a gash on her left cheek that was bleeding quite badly, but other than that she seemed fine. 

Over the sound of the storm and the blood roaring in her ears Signe could hear Frida’s voice, but it was only after a few seconds that she realized she was trying to talk to her.

“What?” Signe slurred, surprised at how hard it was to speak. 

“Signe? Oh my gods, are you OK?”

Signe tried to express how she felt by using words, but settled for a shrug when she found moving her lips too challenging. The whole world seemed to rock, and she heard Frida’s surprised yelp as she almost fell over, knocking into Frida’s chest. 

“Let’s get you out of here”, Frida said, and wound her right arm around Signe’s waist, lifted Signe’s left arm and put it over her own shoulder.

She took a small step forward, urging Signe to move too by keeping her close to her side, and the movement caused Signe’s stomach to turn. She closed her eyes, feeling like she was either going to hurl or pass out at any moment, and only opened them when she heard Frida almost shout her name.

“Signe? Signe, you need to stay awake. We need to get out of here, now,” Frida said, changing her grip Signe’s waist, “can you walk?”

Signe took a deep breath, trying to stop her teeth from chattering and her legs from shaking. 

She looked over to Frida to show her that she’d heard and gave her a nod. 

They walked for an eternity. At least that’s what it felt like for Signe. A headache was starting to form behind her eyes, and there were moments where Signe was convinced that she was going to pass out. Frida managed to keep her awake, forcing her to talk and forcefully shaking Signe when she became limp. The rain and the cold wind that left Signe shivering also helped keep her awake.

Finally, Frida suddenly spoke up, calling out for help. Signe tiredly looked up and moments later, a group of people appeared out of the trees. They all froze and seemed to hesitate when they saw Frida and Signe, and Signe could hear voices being raised but could make out what they said as another wave of fatigue washed over her.

As Signe felt her vision blur and darken dangerously Signe turned her head towards Frida.

“Is it OK to pass out now?” she asked weakly but didn’t have time to hear Frida’s response as she felt her knees buckle under her, and was out like a light before she’d even reached the ground.


	2. Malva

Malva hadn’t meant to punch the daughter of Zeus in the face. It had totally been an accident. Honestly. The girl had just run into her fist. It was as simple as that.

It had happened during an intense game of capture the flag. Malva, being the head counselor of the Apollo cabin had managed to form an alliance with the Athena, Poseidon, Zeus and Hermes cabins (in exchange for stuff such as weapon, enchanted items and, in Poseidon’s case, massages). The red team, being Malva’s opponents, consisted of the remaining gods; Hephaestus, Dionysus, Aphrodite and Ares. There were still many cabins left that weren’t part of the game, since more than half of the half–bloods that came to camp during the summer hadn’t returned from school, so in total there weren’t more than fifty competitors fighting. 

When the sound of the conch horn echoed through the forest, Malva had immediately started running north, over the small stream and straight into enemy territory. Her hands itched after her guns, but since they weren’t allowed in the game she’d settled with a medium sized bronze sword and a metal shield the size and shape of a flying saucer sledge. 

She’d managed to knock out three enemies on her own and had just been saved by a blue–plumed ally when it happened.   
While running in full speed through the forest she was trying to catch sight of the banner, and was not paying attention to anything else. So when a warrior with a long spear suddenly appeared in front of her, her natural instincts immediately kicked in, and she quickly brought her fist up and punched the stranger in the face. The only problem was that the stranger happened to be the one and only daughter of Zeus, pain in the ass, Saga Wayland. 

With her left hand cupped around her nose, Saga took a step back, her eyes wide and shining with anger.   
Malva opened her mouth to apologize, but wasn't given the chance as Saga swung her sword, forcing Malva to duck to avoid being decapitated. 

“Hey! Same side, remember?” Malva yelled, gesturing angrily at her blue–feathered helmet with her sword.

“That was before you deliberately punched me!” Saga exclaimed. She did, however, stop trying to attack Malva, but was still holding her hand over her nose, blood sipping through her fingers. 

Malva rolled her eyes. “It was an accident, and I barely even touched you.”

Saga looked exasperated and she removed her hand, pointing at her nose which now looked more like a bloodstained, swollen potato. 

“This is barely touching me?” she asked through gritted teeth. Malva rolled her eyes again, but before she could muster up a good answer a loud yell was heard behind her. 

Malva quickly turned around and saw a group of Ares’ children come running through the forest, swords raised and eyes fixated on Saga and Malva. Their feathered helmets made them look like a group of angry roosters.

“Oh, gods," Malva heard Saga mutter under her breath. Malva cocked her eyebrow and gave her ally a look over her shoulder.  
“Alright," she said, turning back towards the approaching demigods and lifted her sword, “let’s fight for a change.”

 

Malva was covered in sweat and was still panting as she made her way out of the forest. 

The fight with the Ares demigods had started out really bad. First, Malva hadn’t been quick enough and gotten the handle of a sword shoved into her stomach, leaving her on her knees gasping for breath. Another Ares kid—Malva had remembered it to be Chad, one of the most well-built ones—had taken advantage of Malva’s position, and had kicked her in her chest, sending her flying backwards right into a puddle of water that the rain from the day before had created. Things weren’t going to end well as Chad stepped forward and raised his sword, the no killing or maiming rule apparently forgotten, and was just about to bring it down when Saga had seemingly leaped out of nowhere and crashed into Chad’s side. 

They both landed in a pile a few meters away and Malva forced herself up on her feet, ignoring the pain in her stomach and managed to get back into the fight. 

A few minutes later and all the Ares children were lying on the ground, either unconscious or groaning in pain. Not ten minutes later Malva and Saga had run over the river, carrying the flag with them. 

Malva drew a hand over her upper lip, trying to wipe away the sweat. The sun was shining low, closing in on the horizon and bathing the sky in orange, pink and red colors. The demigods who had joined the game were exiting the forest as well, the blue team members laughing and yelling in excitement. Kate, an Athena girl a few years younger than Malva, had gotten hold of the flag and was jumping up and down, hoisting it into the air as she whooped happily. Malva couldn’t help the small smile that found its way across her lips. 

She approached the table where she'd gathered her gear from and put down her sword, shield and helmet. They lingered on the wooden surface for a few seconds before disappearing as quickly as they had appeared right before the game. After giving a small nod to the counselor of the Athena cabin she began walking towards her own cabin.

“Malva!”

Malva came into a sudden stop as she looked behind her, to where Vilgot was running up to her. His large helmet was bouncing around on his head, and he had to keep a hand on it to stop it from sliding down over his eyes. When he'd made it to her side he took it off, revealing his crows nest of a hairstyle. 

“Hi V," she greeted him and ruffled his blonde hair, snorting at both at the look she received in return and at the mess she left behind. 

“Good game, right?" She continued, "Although, you could’ve done better at keeping the Ares kids away from me; I had to fight of five of them and Saga wasn't a huge help—”

“Malva, hold on," Vilgot said, cutting her off, and it wasn’t until then that Malva noticed the anxious expression that was plastered on her friend’s face. 

She frowned. "What's up?"

Vilgot bit his lip before he answered. “I think Frida’s messed up.”

Malva snorted loudly and began walking away, Vilgot trailing along behind her. “Again? How many times has that happened before? Twenty times? Fifty?”

“Malva, I’m serious. She’s…she came back yesterday morning—”

”Good for her, how exciting", Malva said sarcastically, "now get to the point. What exactly is the problem?” 

“Will you just—” Vilgot took a deep breath, as if calming his nerves, but stubbornly continued pressing on. “Malva, I think she’s brought in someone new.” 

Malva stopped so suddenly she almost elbowed Vilgot in the face. She swirled around.

“What did you say?” Malva asked guardedly.

Vilgot hesitated before he looked up at Malva nervously. 

“I think…I think she brought in a newbie. A powerful one.”

Malva stared at him, mouth agape. 

“You’re serious," she deadpanned.

Vilgot made a grimace but gave a quick nod as an answer. 

For a moment neither of them said anything. Then Malva looked heavenwards and cut the silence off with a loud groan that turned many passers-by heads towards her. 

“Oh, she’s such an idiot!” she exclaimed, pressing her fingertips to her temples before she turned to Vilgot. “Where is she?”  
Vilgot seemed to go through an internal debate with himself before he sighed despondently. 

“She’s in the infirmary, but I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to—”

Malva couldn’t hear more of what Vilgot was saying, because she'd already turned around, stomping towards the heart of the camp. She crossed the large field that lay between the campfire and the weaponry, stormed past the arena and didn't slow down until the infirmary was in sight. 

She was just about to enter the building when she almost got hurtled off her feet by a young girl came stampeding out of the door. The girl stumbled around, her eyes darting everywhere and trying to take in everything, her mouth open in a mixture of awe and horror. Then she spotted Malva, and she froze.

“Are you OK?” Malva asked carefully.

The girl's blue eyes stared at Malva, her mouth opening and closing without anything coming out. 

Malva frowned. “I’m gonna take that as a no.”

“I…I just…there was a…and then he…and Frida…," the girl suddenly gasped loudly, eyes widening. “Oh my God, Frida had a sword!” she exclaimed and stumbled forward and steadied herself by grabbing Malva’s arms, “and Mr. Brown had fangs!”  
Upon hearing Frida's name, Malva closed her eyes and heaved a sigh. Of course this random girl currently attracting too much attention to herself has something to do with Frida. 

Malva was pretty sure the new girl was going to pass out any second if she didn’t calm her down and was about to steer her back to where she'd come from when Frida appeared out of the cabin. The moment the girl saw Frida, she let go of Malva and took a clumsy step back. For a second Malva thought she was going to fall over, but the girl managed to steady herself by leaning on the wall of the infirmary. Frida froze in the doorway and looked at Malva with a surprised expression.

“You wanna explain this?” Malva said, nodding her head towards the girl, who was now staring at Frida as if she’d grown three heads. 

“What are you wearing?” the girl gasped, eyes bulging. Frida looked down on her armor and winced. 

“Well, this was not the way I wanted this to go”, she said, giving Malva a nervous glance. The girl placed her hand on her temple, still staring at Frida, and swayed dangerously as she started muttering to herself.

“I’ve officially gone crazy. This is me, having a mental breakdown.”

Malva rolled her eyes. “If anyone's going crazy, I am," she said before she grabbed Frida by her arm, “now if you’ll excuse us for just one second.”

She dragged Frida a few meters away from the bewildered girl and turned her back on her, facing Frida. 

“Alright, so I’m just gonna take a wild guess here and say that she’s the newbie I’ve been hearing so much about,”, Malva said, jerking her head towards the girl.

Frida looked confused for a second, before it dawned on her. “Of course, Vilgot told you." 

Malva gave her a please-explain-yourself-look and Frida sighed. "It’s…that’s Signe. The one I’ve been talking about.”

Malva stole a glance at the girl—Signe—who was currently looking at her hands as if she’d never seen them before, muttering inaudible nonsense under her breath. 

“I kind of gave her too many painkillers, so she’s kinda delirious," Frida rambled on, sounding even more anxious than Vilgot, “but I think she’ll be fine in a few hours.”

Malva turned her focus to Frida.

“And you’re supposed to be a child of Apollo," she teased, her voice strained. When Frida didn't say anything in return she frowned at her. 

“I’m still waiting for an explanation you know," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "What reason did you possibly have to decide that now would be the best time to bring another demigod in? A demigod that fits perfectly to the prophecy's description might I add.”

Frida straightened her back and jutted her chin out stubbornly. 

“There's a big chance that she isn't the demigod we're waiting for, and I had no other choice! I had to save her from the monster, and I had nowhere else to go.” 

“Well, you could’ve just helped her home, right? You were practically closer to there than this place," Malva shot back.   
Frida gestured to the girl behind Malva. “She was completely drained! She would’ve been dead by now if I hadn’t brought her here.” 

The meaning of the sentence suddenly seemed to dawn on Frida because her eyes widened slightly and she pressed her lips together into a thin line.

Malva sighed and placed her hand on Frida’s shoulder.

“I know she’s your friend but—”

“She’s my best friend, and you know it," Frida snapped, eyes narrowing, “I’ve known her my whole life, and I wasn't going to let her die because of some stupid rule.”

“The rule was made to keep us safe. And now you've risked the safety of everyone in camp bringing her here," Malva said coldly.

Guilt flashed over Frida’s face, and she quickly looked down on her feet, her shoulders tensing. 

“I know it was selfish, bringing her here. I just…I couldn’t let her die," Frida said, voice not louder than a murmur.   
Malva felt like she’d swallowed a bunch of gravel. She sighed again, and then, groaned loudly.

“Urgh, why do you make it so hard to be mad at you?” she whined, joggling Frida playfully. “You really are too damn loyal for your own good.”

Frida gave Malva a small smile.

“Hopefully Signe will remember that when she finds out I’ve practically been lying about everything these past 12 years," Frida said grimly.

Before Malva could respond, a shriek was heard from behind her. She quickly spun /around, prepared for the worst. 

Signe was lying on the ground, her feet and hands in the air. The position would've made her look like a dead animal from a cartoon, if it hadn’t been for the fact that she was squirming around on the floor, squealing and laughing. 

“I believe I can fly…I believe I can touch the sky…," she wailed, completely oblivious of the fact that practically everyone standing nearby was staring at her. That and that she was not actually flying.

For a second Malva considered leaving Frida to take care of the mess herself, but she dismissed the thought, turned to Frida.

“Definitely not the one. And if she is, we’re all doomed," she said and then helped Frida drag the drugged girl back into the tent.


	3. Signe

The first thing Signe noticed when she opened her eyes was that there was a miniature sun floating in midair above her.

If she’d woken up to this on any other occasion, she probably would’ve reacted much differently, but since she’d just found out that her English teacher was in fact a gladiator on steroids, something as simple as a floating light wasn’t that surprising.

She slowly sat up, ignoring her aching shoulder, and pulled the thick, blue and white plaid quilt off of her body. She was still wearing the clothes she'd been wearing yesterday (had it been yesterday? She wasn't sure how much time had passed) and a thin layer of cracked, dried mud covered her top and shorts, giving them both a depressing gray colour. Someone had removed her shoes, but her socks were still on and the wet dirt that covered them had made them stiff and uncomfortable. Mud also covered her bare arms and legs, and probably her face as well. Her hair probably looked like a crow’s nest.

Feeling somewhat relieved that someone hadn't changed her clothes while she'd been unconscious (how embarrassing would that have been?), she turned her head up towards the source of the light again.

The mini sun was about four feet in diameter and was made out of something that resembled slow flowing lava. Sometimes a solar flare would erupt, allowing light to dance along the walls and making the room look like it was on fire.

Speaking of the room; it was, in fact, completely golden. Signe was sitting on one of the other dozen mattresses that covered the floor, but through the small interstices between them, she could see a brilliant golden glimmer. Along the golden walls tall, wooden bunk beds were placed all around the room. A small space was kept clear to Signe’s left where there was another door, the same colour as the rest of the room. A golden double door that was built into the wall in front of Signe, and rays of sunlight made its way through one of the ajar doors. Even the ceiling was gold.

_What is this place?_ Signe thought. _How did I get here?_

She was in the process of taking it all in when the double doors opened. The brightness of the sunlight that flooded into the room forced Signe shield her eyes, until the door was eventually closed.

Standing by the door, was a girl. The girl was about Signe's age, maybe older. She was wearing black shorts, a pink tank top, and had her hair kept in a ponytail. She didn’t seem to have noticed that Signe was even there; her left hand was still on the door handle, and she was scrolling through a red MP3-player in her right hand. A thin, white cord escaped her long, blonde curls and found its way to the device in her hand. Her lips were moving soundlessly and her foot was tapping along with the music.

The girl finally stuffed the MP3 into the pocket of her shorts, shut the door properly with a firm jolt and suddenly seemed to realise she wasn’t alone. Her eyes widened as they landed on Signe and she hastily pulled the earphones out of her ears.

She opened her mouth but didn’t seem to be able to figure out what to say. Finally she settled for, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect you to wake up so soon."

“What?” Signe croaked.

“Uh, I thought you’d wake up much later, or that’s what they told me anyways, so that’s why I wasn’t...”

She trailed off and gestured to the door. “So, I’m gonna go get...someone.” She looked to be about to leave, but held up a finger when something caught her eye.

“Meanwhile...” she picked up a pile of clothes from a nearby bunker and threw it to Signe before pointing at the door to Signe’s left, “there’s a shower behind that door; you can go get yourself cleaned up. Those clothes should fit you. That’s what Frida said at least. I’ll be back in fifteen.”

With that, the girl slunk out the room, and Signe was left alone and confused.

Frida? Was Frida there? Why was she there?

The questions swirled around in her head like a snowstorm, but she didn’t have anyone to ask at the moment. Plus, the thought of having a warm shower took over.

She tore off her dirty clothes, threw them in an empty basket and quickly stepped into the shower. Even though her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to fall over every time she closed her eyes, she managed to take a quick shower, dry herself and hastily put on the new, clean clothes that had been provided to her. Ten minutes later she emerged, still feeling like she’d been hit by a bus but now with her wet hair smelling like strawberries.

Now that she was out in better lighting, she got a chance to get a better look at her new outfit; denim shorts that were a bit too big around her waist but fit well enough to not fall down to her ankles, a very orange t-shirt with a black, winged horse printed on its chest along with some sort of text (reading upside down did not help her dyslexia so she didn’t even try comprehending it), and a pair of white tube socks stuffed into a pair of blue converse.

She looked like a wannabe hipster skater from the 80’s.

She contemplated putting on the muddy outfit she’d worn when she woke up, when the door suddenly flew open. Before she could look up someone barrelled straight into her and a pair of arms were thrown around Signe’s neck.

“Thank the gods you’re ok!”

Upon hearing her attacker’s voice, Signe felt her shoulders relax. “Frida?”

After a brief moment Frida pulled away, and managed to look both excited and worried as her eyes took in Signe. She opened her mouth and looked to be about to say something but Signe cut her to it.

“No, you no talk. I’m the one with the questions.”

Frida’s mouth closed.

“Dude, what the hell is going on?” Signe exclaimed, her arms flailing about. “Where are we? Where’s mom and Robert? Who was that girl I just met? Did I fall into a river yesterday? And did I witness Mr. Brown turn into some kind of a gladiator-?” Signe did a double take, the memory of yesterday’s battle suddenly coming back to her. “Wait, did you...did you hit him with a baseball bat?”

Frida hesitated. Signe’s eyes widened.

“Oh my God, that happened? I’m not crazy?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Then how come I’m not freaking out?”

Frida raised her eyebrows. “It kinda looks like you’re freaking out right now. I think you need to—”

“No, I’m freaking out over the fact that I’m not, you know, more freaked out! I should be questioning my sanity, but all that’s happened feels weirdly plausible. Nothing like this should feel even remotely plausible!”

Frida suddenly clapped loudly in front of Signe’s face. She flinched, momentarily stunned.

“Ok, you need to chill. Are you ok?”

Signe’s chest was aching. Her shoulder was in pain and a headache was beginning to form behind her eyes.

“Yeah, I’m fine, of course I’m fine!” she lied. Frida rolled her eyes.

“You suck at lying.”

“Ok, fine, I feel like shit. Happy? Now you have to tell me what’s going on. Please.”

Frida looked like she was at a lost of words. Then her shoulders hunched and she sighed.

“Ok, fine.”

Frida sat down on one of the mattresses and gesture for Signe to do the same.

“So,” she began, and Signe caught her voice wavering slightly, “you know how we try to be honest to each other about what’s going on in out lives and such?”

Signe nodded, urging her to go on.

Frida grimaced. “Well, I may not have been completely honest about...everything.”

“Ok,” Signe said hesitantly.

Frida was quiet for a moment. When she spoke again Signe could hear she was choosing her words carefully.

“So, you are still on Long Island. More specifically, you’re in a place called Camp Half-Blood. It’s sort of like a safe haven for...special people.”

Signe felt her heart sink to her stomach. “Oh. Cool.”

Frida’s eyes widened. “No, no, no! Not like that, you’re not-“ she groaned and looked heavenward. “Gods, why does this have to be so hard?”

Signe frowned. “Why do you keep saying that?”

“Saying what?”

“Gods. Plural.”

“Oh, right.” Frida hesitated again. “Well, here’s the thing, I’m about to drop a truth bomb on you that might be a bit hard to accept, but here it is.”

She cleared her throat and looked Signe dead in the eye. “I know we haven’t gone through it in school, but I assume you know about the Greek gods.”

Signe shrugged and took a sip from her juice box. “Yeah, it’s Zeus and Aphrodite and a few more, right?”

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Frida said, her face a shade paler than before. “Well, it turns out that those gods are, actually...completely real.”

Signe choked on her drink. Frida stared at her.

“Greek gods,” Signe deadpanned once she could breathe again.

Frida nodded.

“They’re...real.”

Frida nodded again and cleared her throat. “Ok, on to the second truth bomb. So, the gods - the Greek gods - sometimes came down to earth from Olympus to check on us mortals, and sometimes they, uh, met someone that they liked, and sometimes ended up having kids. And to keep the kids safe, they were put in a camp.”

“And that camp is called Camp Half-Blood?” Signe guessed.

Frida nodded solemnly, nervously picking on a piece of thread sticking out of the mattress.

“So what you’re saying is that...one of your parents...is a Greek god?”

Frida looked surprised. “That was the last thing I expected you to pick up on, but yes. My dad is Apollo.”

For a moment all Signe did was stare. Then she reached out with her hand and placed it on Frida’s forehead. Frida flinched back and pushed the hand away from her.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking your temperature.”

Realisation showed on Frida’s face and she sighed. “Signe...”

Signe’s mouth formed an o. “Oh, I get it now! You’re the crazy one.”

Frida rolled her eyes. “Signe, come on, I’m trying to give you answers-“

“What do you mean ‘trying to give me answers’, you sound crazy! Even crazier than I probably am.”

“Just try and listen, and I’ll explain-“

“Greek gods aren’t real!”

Frida threw herself forward, placing her hand tightly over Signe’s mouth. Signe was too surprised to reel back. Outside, thunder suddenly rumbled.

“Don’t say that!” Frida hissed. She was glancing anxiously at the roof as if she was afraid it was going to collapse at any second. Signe pushed the hand away from her, staring at her friend. “Oh my God. You seriously believe what you’re saying.”

Frida was about to answer when the sound of a horn being blown in the distance was heard.

She immediately tensed, she cursed under her breath and pushed herself to her feet.

“I have to leave.”

“Why? Where are you going?”

“Emergency meeting.” Seeing Signe’s confused expression, Frida took a deep breath.

“Listen, I know this seems crazy and that I seem crazy and that it’s a lot to take in, but I need you to trust me. Just stay here.”

“No. No way.” Signe scrambled up to her feet, throwing the empty juice box at the garbage can by the door and missing it completely. “You dragged me into this mess, and I’m not getting left behind because of it. I’m coming with you.”

Hurt flashed across Frida’s face but was gone as soon as it had appeared.

“It’s gonna be a lot to take in, I don’t want to overwhelm you—”

Another sound occured and Signe saw Frida glance nervously out the window. Outside, people ( _kids_ , Signe realized, horrified, _why had they taken kids here?_ ) were walking bristly in the same direction, sharing concerned looks with each other.

Frida gave Signe a long look. “Ok, fine,” she supplied angrily, “but we need to hurry.”

Signe gave her friend a curt nod. Then she followed her outside.

 

…

 

As she hurried down the marble steps that led out of the golden cabin, Signe immediately knew that Camp Half-Blood was unlike anything she’d ever seen.

The structure was on a meadow, surrounded by large hills riddled with trees. On both sides of the golden house, other houses were built on the well kept grass, creating a long row of half a dozen buildings.

30 feet in front of the golden house was an enormous campfire, by far the biggest campire Signe’d ever seen, surrounded by loads of empty chairs and benches. Another 30 feet behind the campfire there was another row of small cottages. Some houses were larger than others, and none were similar to each other; while the house behind Signe was golden on the outside with a large sun painted over the door, the one next to it was blood red with a stuffed boar head hanging over the front door and with the roof lined with barbed wire. To the left of the gold house was a building that looked like a small factory, with dark brick walls and a tall chimney where dark clouds of smoke rose to the sky.

To Signe's left, by the end of the row and aligned with the fireplace there were two enormous houses. The one on the left was more like a building than a house. It looked like a very tall marble mausoleum with thick, giant pillars in the front. The bronze doors were well polished and shimmered as if it was made out of water.

The one on the right looked similar to it’s neighbour, but was a bit smaller. It had much slimmer pillars, with pomegranates and flowers garlanded around them like green snakes. The double doors were green, and shone brightly in the evening light.

As Signe looked around, Signe realised that there was no one around but her and Frida. The soft breeze, bringing in the strange smell of seaweed and wet earth was the only thing Signe could hear.

Frida grabbed her arm, pulling her out of her trance.

"Come on!" Frida said, pulling her along with her.

Signe was dragged to her left and past giant houses. Once they’d escaped the weird collection of houses, Frida latched onto a trail that, strangely enough, was made out of white cobblestones.

Seriously, what was this place?

Now that the houses weren’t in the way, Signe could finally get a good look at the place.   
The cobblestone path they were walking on was embedded in the ground of a giant meadow, and where the meadow ended a couple of yards away, the sea began.

_At least that explains the smell_ , Signe thought.

The sun had disappeared behind a hoard of dark clouds that soon would be over them, making the seawater look dangerous and unwelcoming. Even so, Signe felt a sense of calm wash over her when she saw it.

The path was turning slightly to the right, until it was parallel with the shore. A yard or so away, there was a stone bridge built over a wide river, where water streamed towards the sea. Beyond the stone bridge, Signe could see yet another meadow, although this meadow was much bigger than the precious ones: it was at least the size of two football fields combined.

Towering up in the middle of it there stood a gigantic boulder the size of an arena. Figures heading towards the rock was seen running across the field. Signe and Frida seemed to be the last arriving.

In front of the boulder, hundreds of small tents were placed randomly on the wet grass. As Signe and Frida crossed the bridge, Signe could see that they were all a head taller than Signe, and as big as the house she’d woken up in.

Some of them had the hanging pieces of brown fabric that worked as a door pulled to the side, making it possible for Signe to see inside.

In one there stood a lonely writing desk with piles of books and parchments scattered over it, in another there were spears as long as a Signe was tall tilted against a wooden rifle rack in the far back.

Signe glanced at Frida worryingly, but her friend’s gaze was fixed straight ahead, her brow furrowed and her jaw set.

To Signe’s right there a couple of trees grew around a large lake. The lake’s surface was so clear it looked more like a mirror, reflecting the grays and blues of the cloud that was now directly over them. Signe could see some sailboats and motorboats tied to an old, wooden jetty that stretched out into the water. By the shoreline there lay a dozen yellow canoes, still dripping wet.

The wind was starting to pick, tugging at Signe’s hair and making goosebumps appear on her arms. Seeing her shivering, Frida pulled off her hoodie and gave it to Signe.

“I don’t get cold, remember?” She said when she saw Signe hesitate.

Signe rolled her eyes but happily put on the warm piece of clothing. “Oh yeah, it’s because you’re so hot, right?”

Frida snorted loudly but didn’t answer.

As they came closer and closer, Signe realised that the boulder wasn’t a boulder.

The not-boulder was slightly curved around the edges, as if had a round shape. Giant windows shaped like half moons were made into the stone in precise rows, and by the ground, there were numerous openings shaped like arches that rose higher than eight feet.

It was a giant colosseum. In the middle of a meadow. On Long Island.

“Uh, I’m kinda more willing to almost believe your ranterings about the ancient gods,” Signe murmured.

Frida cast a concerned glance in her direction but Signe ignored it. Together they walked up to the colosseum and entered one of the arches.

For a moment the howling of the wind died out, leaving the two girls in almost complete darkness. If it hadn’t been for the light that shone in from the other side of the tunnel, Signe wouldn’t have been able to see a thing.

In the newfound silence, the sound of voices suddenly reached Signe, and she frowned as she exited the small tunnel. She looked around, and her jaw dropped.

She was standing on the bottom of a gigantic amphitheater. The rows were slightly curved inward stretched 50 feet in both directions, creating a gigantic half circle. The steps were so wide and so many that they seemed to be going all the way up to the cloudy sky.

The middle parts of the three closest rows were packed with people, explaining where the voices came from.

There were people like Signe, with two arms, two legs and a normal face in intense conversation with each other.

Then there were other...not-people.

Creatures with incredibly hairy legs, hooves - _hooves_ \- instead of feet and horns sticking out of their short, curly hair. Creatures who were entirely green, with vines, leaves and small twigs sticking out of their hair, and creatures who looked relatively normal body wise, but once Signe got a better look at their face she realised they only had one eye. Frida must’ve put something in the juice box.

“Okay,” she said slowly, feeling overwhelmed. “I want to go home now.”

Frida ignored her and guided her up to the third step, where there were enough space by the end of the row for them to sit.

Just as they’d sat down, the people (and non-people) quieted down, and the clopping sound of hooves was heard.

From a tunnel to Signe’s the right, a great, white stallion walked into view, its hooves echoing through the silent crowd. It jumped up on a square raise in the stone floor.

The only problem with the horse was that where its head should be, the tanned, naked torso of a man began.

Signe was strongly considering booking when the centaur began speaking in a low, gruff voice.

“Thank you for arriving in such short notice. I apologise if I’ve disrupted your activities but this’ll only take a moment.” He paused, letting his gaze wander. With his unkempt hair and frizzy beard he reminded Signe of Robert. It made her heart ache.

“This morning another three heroes have fallen ill. I’m terribly saddened to report that one of them is none other than Mr. D.”

Frantic whispers broke out all around Signe, and she followed suit, leaning in slightly towards Frida.

“What is he talking about? What’s going on?” She asked, but Frida hushed her as the centaur began talking again.

“These do seem like dangerous times,” he said, “But we shall not let this defeat us. The gods are impatient and unnerved, as there is now proof that gods can also be affected by this disease. Because of this, I’ve spoken with Rachel and we’ve come to an agreement. The heroes who will fulfil the prophecy shall be chosen today...by the Oracle.”

There was a moment of silence. Then the crowd exploded in sounds uproar. The man in the centre held up his hands in an attempt to silence the crowd.

“What do you mean?” The voice of a girl cried out, “We can’t try to win over fate! It’s madness!”

“The Oracle can’t directly choose who will go on the quest!” Another girl behind Signe yelled. “It’s never been done before!”

“Silence!” The man shouted, and his voice rung as strong as a church bell. Silence immediately fell over the teenagers. “Do not be so foolish as to think I haven’t given this thought! If we postpone this any longer it will be too late! We must do this now, before it is all too late.”

He turned to his left, and held out a hand.

“Rachel, dear.”

A small, tender hand gripped the man’s, and a tall girl -Rachel- was helped up onto the platform and brought into Signe’s view. She was tall and thin, wearing jeans with paint splattered all over them, and a red hoodie.

Something about her was off. Even though she looked to only be in her early twenties her face was as pale as ivory, her thin skin was pulled tightly over her cheekbones and her red hair looked almost colourless.

She looked...sick.

Signe heard Frida gasp beside her and she stole a glance. Her friend had a hand covering her mouth, her eyes wide.

“What’s wrong with her?” Signe whispered.

“I don’t know. I saw her two days ago, and she was fine. By the gods, she looks awful.”

Signe turned back to Rachel.

The horse-man had walked her to the center of the platform, still holding her hand. She gave him a nod and a weak smile and he let go and backed away.

With a hoarse voice that was barely audible Rachel said, “Right. So, if this goes as the Oracle insists it will, here’s what’s gonna happen; if you’re chosen, you’ll get a nice little green tattoo on your wrist. If you don’t get a tattoo, you’re not chosen. Simple as that.”

She turned to the horse-man who gave her a solemn nod. She nodded back and faced the crowd.

“Good luck.”

Rachel took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Signe felt her blood turn to ice as green, glowing smoke started pouring out of Rachel’s mouth, ears and nostrils, gathering like a cloud by her feet. She glanced worriedly at Frida.

“It’s fine,” Frida said without looking away from the platform, “It’s supposed to happen.”

The smoke began moving slowly through the air, like a hesitant snake slithering out of its den.

Suddenly, a powerful, booming voice that wasn’t really a voice echoed through the amphitheater; it sounded more like ten people saying the words in unison, and it sent shivers down Signe’s spine. She instinctively covered her ears, but she could still hear the voices, as if there were ten people hanging out inside her head.

The voices said;

_They must go through shadow’s gate_  
For seven to become eight  
The girl by the crow  
She must go  
Or it will be too late

  
Rachel swayed where she stood, her brows furrowing. The horse-man behind her took a cautious step forward, concern showing on his face. The smoke snake faded slightly, but the voices kept on going. Signe’s wrist itched.

_If the snake is not found_  
Forever to the curse they’ll be bound  
Two will fall  
Three answer the call  
The rest return without a sound

  
Even from where Signe was standing she could see the sweat on the girl’s forehead. The ginger swayed dangerously again, and had to regain her footing to prevent herself from falling. The voices continued;

_Over land and sea they’ll travel_  
To the mystery of the god unravel  
None will succeed  
All will bleed  
Unless they all become one

  
The snake evaporated. Rachel’s eyes flew open and Signe’s heart skipped a beat when the girl’s green eyes stared straight into hers. Then they rolled back into her skull and she collapsed.

The centaur ran ( _galloped?_ Signe’s ADHD brain contributed helpfully) up to Rachel and frantically gestured to his right. Two of the goat-people and a boy came running, quickly scooped the girl down from the platform and hurried off.

The horse-man followed them with his gaze, his face grim, before he turned to the crowd.

“It is done. Those who have been chosen, please come forth.”

For a moment, no one moved. Then people began standing up, making their way down to Chiron. Signe saw two girls - a short brunette and an older blonde - walked sideways to the small stairs that went up along the rows. Another girl with a black leather jacket who didn’t care about taking the stairs was jumping down from row to row, stepping between people to get to the bottom.

Signe turned to Frida to demand answers, but her questions died out before escaping her mouth when she saw how Frida was staring down at her own wrist.

Signe followed her gaze. On the side of her friends left wrist, there was a green tattoo. Three green lines half of an inch in length were drawn slightly tilting towards each other, with another line cutting them off at the top. It was glowing slightly.

A strangled sound suddenly escaped Frida’s throat and she grabbed Signe’s wrist, yanking up the sleeve of her hoodie slightly.

There, shining slightly in the dim light, was a green tattoo, identical to the one on Frida’s wrist.

“Oh, shit,” Signe heard herself whisper.

It wasn’t until then that she realised her wrist was stinging slightly, as if she’d just been scratched by a cat. All Signe could do was stare at the tattoo.

She didn’t move until Frida had to forcefully pull her up to her feet.

As they both slowly made their way towards the center, through the roaring in her ears, Signe could hear people begin talking to each other.

“ _Who is_ she?”

“ _I’ve never seen her before_.”

“ _Is she even claimed_?”

“ _Is she even a_ demigod?”

Signe felt so overwhelmed she thought her head was going to faint. Above her, thunder rumbled and rain started to fall.

Frida and Signe walked to the group of five people who were already standing by Chiron. Signe kept her eyes glued to the floor the whole way there.

“You. What is your name.”

Signe jumped at the voice and looked up. Looming over her was the horse-man. His narrowed eyes were staring into hers.

“Signe Wilson,” she squeaked, before quickly adding, “sir.”

“Show me your wrist.”

With a shaky hand Signe pulled back her sleeve and held it out for him to see.

His eyes widened slightly.

“I see. I was not aware you had been brought here.” He paused to give Frida a meaningful stare, and the brunette flushed, her head almost disappearing into her shoulders. Chiron continued. “And who, might I ask, is your parent?”

Before Signe could point out that that was the most ridiculous question she’d ever heard and that it had nothing to do with this,

Chiron’s face suddenly bathed in a bright, green light.

Chiron recoiled, his gaze now fixed on something behind her.

“By my word,” he whispered.

Signe turned around, and saw that everyone was staring at her. Or not directly at her. They were all looking at something over her head.

She looked up, and there, floating three feet above her head, was the image of a green trident, shimmering beautifully. After a second it disappeared, leaving Signe staring blankly at the dark clouds, raindrops hitting her face.

“It is decided,” Chiron suddenly announced, making Signe turn her attention to him. Her eyes widened when she saw that he was hunching over in a bow. Shortly after the whole audience was following his lead. Even the newly tattooed where hunched over. Even Frida.

“Poseidon. Earthshaker, stormbringer, Father of Horses. All hail Signe Wilson, Daughter of the Sea God.”

The thunder rumbled again. Rain ran into Signe’s eyes, making everything blurry. Her head spun.

Behind Signe, a tall, blonde girl leaned slightly towards Frida and muttered, “Well, I guess that’s it. We’re all doomed.”


End file.
